Monday, April 25, 2005

London and other cities stand to lose millions in federal gas-tax revenue if Paul Martin's minority Liberals are brought down before they can pass their first budget. In London, that could cost taxpayers $4 million the city is already banking on from the feds in this year's city budget.

Most of that money has already been earmarked for spending on public works projects such as roads and sewers.

"Everything -- it's all at stake," Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco fumed on the weekend, vowing to press city MPs on the issue in a meeting today with board of control.

"If they do not pass the budget, we get nothing -- no gas tax -- and we've budgeted $3 million of it this year," said DeCicco. "You just can't find money like that easily. This is like the worst of all things that could have happened."

Well, well - London's Liberal looters don't look so good now do they? Considering council members were well aware that the money was not a for sure thing in the first place, and further, that the federal Liberals have a minority government, they should have waited until the funds were in hand before budgeting on a dream. It's like spending your pay cheque before even going to the job interview, and then ending up in the welfare line. As usual, it will be taxpayers taking the punch for such despicable and gross mismanagement of appropriated funds. But they do things like that here in London - like for example, when approving the overpass for Hale and Trafalgar streets:

London will go ahead with the first phase of the controversial Hale-Trafalgar rail overpass. In a 9-7 vote last night, council approved funding for the first phase of the $11.5-million overpass on the CN Rail line.

But it wasn't without concern and debate about whether federal funding will ever surface.

"Certainly, there's no certainty whatsoever as far as a partnership with the federal government," said Coun. David Winninger [. . .]

Several members of council have expressed concern the city will end up paying the federal government's share, or more, if solid commitments aren't made before construction begins.

It's okay to go into debt lobbying for festivities and the construction of fancy arenas - but roads and sewers - you know, essentials - are to be paid for from provincial 'windfalls'. And what of that debt?

If the money doesn't come, it will have to be found elsewhere, such as from a $13.1-million windfall the city received from Ontario and plans to apply against debt, said Vic Cote, the city's finance manager.

DeCicco plans to contact area mayors to press all federal leaders to pass the budget before an election [. . .]

Unless the budget is passed, the gas tax, new health-care funding, tax cuts and the first $700 million of a $5-billion, five-year national child-care plan are all threatened.

"I would think that if they have the national interest at heart, then they'd approve specific parts of the budget and then get on with their own partisan agendas," he said.

So here we see one possible way the thieving Liberals will get back into power - if we don't vote them back into power, the trough money might be lost! Those conservatives won't support our 'partisan agenda', so we'll stick to the party that does. As for the billions shamelessly stolen from taxpayers - well, they won't do it again I am sure.

In the interest of securing their own corrupt and blood sucking positions, these mayors forget to mention where all the money comes from in the first place - taxpayers across the country. London's funding Toronto, Alberta is funding Ontario - everyone is funding everyone and noone is getting what they want. Pass the pot and see how much you can grab before the next guy makes a demand.

DeCicco said the federal political uncertainty only "underscores the importance of putting programs in place that are sustainable -- funding you can count on regardless of who forms the government."

The Martin government's defeat also could delay further delay an affordable housing deal with Ontario. About $300 million in federal cash has been stalled for two years because Ontario won't commit to matching funding.

I'm with DeCicco, let's get rid of the voting process altogether and just set up a series of five year plans.

Yes, another balanced front page article from the London Liberal Press.